Swimming pool coping



March 28, 1967 L. LIPMAN SWIMMING POOL COPING Filed Jan. 7, 1965 FIG.

l N VEN TOR.

[E N/4RD Z IPA- M United States Patent 3,310,814 SWIMMING POOL COPING Leonard Lipman, East Orange, N.J., assignor to Vincent C. Shanni, Scotch Plains, and Fred Katzman, New Market, NJ.

Filed Jan. 7, 1965, Ser. No. 423,978 11 Claims. (Cl. 4-172) This invention rel-ates generally to swimming pool copings, and particularly to two piece swimming pool copings in which the parts are snap-fitted together.

It is an object of the invention toprovide a swimming pool coping which is easily installed, will accommodate liners having various size bead-edge dimensions, and does not require those edges to be fitted into a slot.

It is another object of the invention to provide a swimming pool coping which may be bolted in place, and the bolt then concealed.

Yet a further object of the invention is to provide a two-piece coping in which the edge-piece is prevented from being raised by the end-piece, which has a lever action, and thereby locks the liner in place.

Among the further objects of the invention is the elimination of a wood border on a pool in order to attach the coping. The coping has strength, durability, lightness, ease of shipping, assembling, and interlocking, resistance to chlorine deterioration, and adjustability to narrow or wide pool borders.

These objects and advantages, as well as other objects and advantages may be attained by the device shown by way of illustration in the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a partial perspective view of an edgepiece of a two-piece swimming pool coping;

FIGURE 2 is a partial perspective view of an endpiece of a two-piece swimming pool coping; and

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view of a two-piece swimming pool coping assembled and attached to the edge of a swimming pool, holding the bead edge of the swimming pool liner in place.

Swimming pool copings have been difiicult to install, to engage with a pool liner, to anchor firmly in place, to be relatively tamper-proof. It has been found that a two-piece swimming pool coping, the parts of which could be snap fitted together, could overcome these disadvantages, and would have numerous other advantages.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the present invention is illustrated by a swimming pool coping formed in two parts. There is an edge-piece 11 which is attached to the margin of the pool, and an end-piece 12 which is attached to the edge-piece. The edge-piece 11 has a gently sloping, contoured topwall 10, rising toward the edge of the pool. This slope merges smoothly into a convex edge 13, which curves around to a bottom portion 14, which is generally horizontal. The bottom 14 has a downwardly extending flange 15. Spaced away from the flange 15 in an outward direction, there is a lip 16, shorter than the flange 15, which defines a socket 17 that will receive a head, or enlarged edge 18 usually provided on the edge of a swimming pool liner 19. When the edgepiece 11 is firmly attached to the pool margin, as shown in FIGURE 3, the socket 14 will hold the bead 18 to keep the pool liner in place. The edge-piece 11 is provided with a generally vertical rear wall 20, which is integrally dependent from the top wall 10. The rearwall 20 has a generally flat, integral, horizontal bottomwall 21. A locating channel 22 is provided in the center of the bottom-wall 21. A hole 23 provides for the passage of a bolt 24, or other attaching means, by which the edge-piece 11 may be attached at the edge of the pool wall 25. The bottom-wall 21 can be provided with welts 26, 26, to insure firm positioning. A generally vertical, integral end-wall 27 extends upwardly at the edge of the I 3,310,814 Patented Mar. 28, 1967 bottom-wall 21. This end-wall 27 has an inner-rib 28 opposite the rear-wall 20.

The end-piece 12 is provided with an insert for snap-fit into the space between the rear-wall 20, and the endwall 27, which defines a channel. The end-piece 12 has a generally horizontal, flat top-wall 30. There is a convex outer-edge 31 dependent from the top-wall 3t), and defining the end thereof. A generally vertical, dependent lip or front wall 32 is formed integral with the top wall 30. It is noted that the front-wall 32 is relatively short, with respect to an intermediate-wall 33, which is spaced inwardly from the front-wall 32, and depends from the top-wall 30; the intermediate-wall 33 is sufficiently long so that when both the edge-piece 11 and the end-piece 12 are disposed on the same surface, they will not immediately embrace each other. The intermediate-wall 33 is integral with the top-wall 30, and perpendicularly depends therefrom. An outer-rib 34 is formed on the outer side of the intermediate-wall 33. The front-wall 32, and the intermediate-wall 33 define an insert which will fit the channel defined by the end-wall 27 and the rear-wall 20. When the end-piece 12 is disposed adjacent to the edge-piece 11, with both resting on the same flat surf-ace, the width "of the insert is greater than the channel. Since both edge-piece 11 and end-piece 12 are made of aluminum, or some other relatively rigid material, which is slightly deformable, a sharp blow struck on the top-wall 30 of the end-piece 12, will cause at least the intermediate-wall 33 to deform sufficiently to allow the insert to enter the channel. The inner-rib 28 will then be interlocked with the outer rib 34, and cannot be easily disengaged by reason of the engagement of the front wall 32 with the rear-wall 20. A strong prying force brought to bear on the end-piece 12 under the top wall 3%) can however accomplish such disengagement when necessary. The end-piece 12 and edge-piece 11 are firmly interlocked by snap-fit, the bolt 24 is concealed, and the top walls 30, 10 are coplaner. A neat, two-piece coping is provided with concealed attachment.

The foregoing description is merely intended to illustrate an embodiment of the invention. The component parts have been shown and described. They each may have substitutes which may perform a substantially similar function; such substitutes may be known as proper substitutes for the said components and may have actually been known or invented before the present invention; these substitutes are contemplated as being within the scope of the appended claims, although they are not specifically catalogued herein.

What is claimed:

1. A swimming pool coping comprising:

(a) an edge-piece;

(b) an end-piece;

(c) a ribbed channel and a ribbed insert on the edgepiece and the end-piece;

(d) the insert dimensioned too large for entry into the channel when the end-piece and edge-piece are disposed on a generally flat surface;

(e) the edge-piece and the end-piece being made of rigid, yet slightly deformable material, whereby the channel and insert may be snap-fitted together with the ribbed portions interlocked.

2. A swimming pool coping comprising:

(a) an edge-piece;

(b) an end-piece;

(c) a channel and an insert on the edge-piece and the end-piece interlocked with each other.

3. A swimming pool coping comprising:

(a) the device according to claim 2, and

(b) a generally convex outer end on the edge-piece.

4. A swimming pool coping comprising:

(a) the device according to claim 2, and

(b) a socket on the outer end of the edge-piece dimensioned to retain the bead on the edge of a swimming pool liner.

5. A swimming pool coping comprising:

(a) the device according to claim 2, and

(b) a fastening means attaching the channel to a surface upon which the edge-piece and end-piece rest.

6. A swimming pool coping comprising:

(a) the device according to claim 2, and

(b) a fastening means attaching the channel to a surface upon which the edgepiece and end-piece rest;

(c) the insert covering the fastening means.

7. A swimming pool coping comprising:

(a) the device according to claim 2, and

(b) a convex outer-edge on the end of the end-piece.

8. A swimming pool coping comprising:

(a) the device according to claim 2, and

(b) the channel defined at the inner-edge of the edgepiece;

() the insert defined at the inner-edge of the endpiece.

9. A swimming pool coping comprising:

(a) the device according to claim 2, in which the channel is defined by (b) a generally vertical dependent rear-wall on the edge-piece;

(c) a generally flat bottom-wall integral with the r earwall;

((1) a generally vertical end-wall integral with the bottorn-wall;

(e) an inner-rib on the end-wall.

10. A swimming pool coping comprising:

(a) the device according to claim 2, in which the insert is defined by (b) a generally vertical, dependent front-wall on the end-piece;

(c) a generally vertical, dependent intermediate-wall on the end-piece;

(d) an outer rib on the intermediate-wall.

11. A swimming pool coping comprising:

(a) the device according to claim 2, in which the channel is defined by (b) a generally vertical, dependent rear-wall on the edge-piece;

(c) a generally flat bottom-wall integral with the rearwall;

(d) a generally vertical end-wall, integral with the bottom-wall;

(e) an inner rib on the end-wall; and the insert is defined by (f) a generally vertical, dependent front wall on the end-piece;

(g) a generally vertical, dependent intermediate-wall on the end-piece;

(h) an outer-rib on the intermediate wall;

(1) the insert dimensioned too large for entry into the channel when the end-piece and the edge-piece are disposed on a generally flat surface;

(j) the edge-piece and end-piece being made of rigid,

yet slightly deformable material, whereby the channel and insert may be snap-fitted together with the inner-rib and outer-rib interlocked.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,177,501 4/1965 KWake 4-172 3,239,975 3/1966 Stier 52169 3,271,787 9/ 1966 Clary 52403 FOREIGN PATENTS 532,582 10/1954 Belgium. 539,191 7/ 1955 Belgium.

FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner.

I. L. RIDGILL, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A SWIMMING POOL COPING COMPRISING: (A) AN EDGE-PIECE; (B) AN END-PIECE; (C) A RIBBED CHANNEL AND A RIBBED INSERT ON THE EDGEPIECE AND THE END-PIECE; (D) THE INSERT DIMENSIONED TOO LARGE FOR ENTRY INTO THE CHANNEL WHEN THE END-PIECE AND EDGE-PIECE ARE DISPOSED ON A GENERALLY FLAT SURFACE; (E) THE EDGE-PIECE AND THE END-PIECE BEING MADE OF RIGID, YET SLIGHTLY DEFORMABLE MATERIAL, WHEREBY THE CHANNEL AND INSERT MAY BE SNAP-FITTED TOGETHER WITH THE RIBBED PORTIONS INTERLOCKED. 